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How to use a Metabo circular saw

Updated: 21 October 2026

You have a Metabo KS or KT on the bench, a marked sheet or a length of softwood, and the cut has to land on the line. This is how to use a Metabo circular saw of the kinds in our comparison: the corded KS 55 FS and KS 85 FS, the cordless KS 18 LTX 57 BL, and the KT 18 plunge saw. Set the depth, support the work, and let the guard return before you think about feed. The [Metabo circular saw comparison](/hub/power-saws/metabo-circular-saw) is where the listings and prices sit. Peter F. did not film a shop test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a Metabo KS or KT on the bench, a marked sheet or a length of softwood, and the cut has to land on the line.

Our top picks

Metabo KS 55 FS corded

Best overall

Metabo KS 55 FS corded
8.6/10about £147.99
View offer
Metabo KS 55 FS + FS 160

Best value

Metabo KS 55 FS + FS 160
8.4/10about £274.69
View offer
Metabo KT 18 LTX 66 BL plunge

Rank 3

Metabo KT 18 LTX 66 BL plunge
6.8/10about £359.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Before you switch it on
  2. 2.Depth, bevel and a KS cut
  3. 3.Putting the saw on a guide rail
  4. 4.Plunge cuts, dust and when to stop

Before you switch it on

Support both sides so the offcut cannot drop and pinch the blade. On a sheet, battens go under the keep and the waste, with nothing under the blade path. Fit the blade with the saw unplugged or the CAS pack off. The KS 55 uses a 160 × 20 mm blade; the KS 18 and the KT use 165 × 20 mm. If the guard does not return, do not feed. Corded models need a BS 1363 socket and a lead that matches 1,200 W or 2,000 W. Model choice is on the buying guide. Structural timber belongs to a competent person.

Depth, bevel and a KS cut

With the saw isolated, set the teeth so they just clear the far face. That is a rule of thumb. Metabo’s maxima are 55 mm at 90° and 50 mm on a rail for the KS 55, and 57 mm and 52 mm for the KS 18. An 18 mm shelf does not need full travel. The KS 85 capture prints no depth. Bevel on the KS 55 sheet is 0–47°; the KS 18 runs 0–50° with a 45° detent. Square the shoe again before a 90° rip. Start with the blade clear, let it reach speed, then feed. If it stalls, wait for the blade to stop before you lift it. The parallel guide is for narrow stock, not a full sheet.
Metabo KS 55 FS corded

Testsieger

Metabo KS 55 FS corded
8.6/10about £147.99
View offer

Putting the saw on a guide rail

FS is a groove, not a rail in the bare KS 55 box. Sit it on a Metabo, Mafell, Bosch, Festool, Makita, HiKOKI or Hilti rib and check the saw cannot lift off. The £274.69 set names FS 160, which is 1,600 mm. Clamp it; reviewers often buy wedges separately. Re-set depth on the rail: 55 mm falls to 50 mm on the KS 55, 57 mm to 52 mm on the KS 18. The first cut trims the rubber lip. Do that on scrap. One buyer shimmed blade height because the teeth marked the aluminium. FS lengths versus the KFS 44 are on the guide rail page. Do not drag the saw backwards. A 2,440 mm sheet needs another placement.

Plunge cuts, dust and when to stop

The KT 18 is not a KS. Align the rail and plunge the spinning blade. Bullets say up to 66 mm. Do not try that entry on a KS. Before a rail-critical KT cut, check the shoe on a flat table. Several reviewers reported a warped base. The KS 55 has an extraction connector; the KT has a dust bag, which is not a workshop vacuum. Do not dry-sweep MDF. At work, HSE limits are 3 mg/m³ hardwood and 5 mg/m³ softwood, and the KS 18 is about 94 dB(A). Stop if the brake fails, the shoe rocks, or the cut is structural. Changing model is the best-of page.

Common questions

How do you set the depth on a KS 55 FS?
With the saw isolated, rest the shoe on the work and lower the blade until the teeth just clear the underside. Metabo’s maximum is 55 mm at 90° off a rail and 50 mm on a rail, so an 18 mm sheet should use far less than full travel. Re-set the depth after you hook the saw onto a guide rail, because the rail steals stated capacity. Square the bevel if you are not cutting a mitre.
How do you mount a Metabo circular saw on an FS rail?
Locate the FS groove in the shoe on the rail rib, confirm the saw will not lift off, and clamp the rail to the work. The bare KS 55 does not include the rail; the £274.69 set’s title names FS 160. Make the first pass on scrap so the splinter lip is trimmed to your blade, and set the depth so the teeth clear the underside without digging into the rail edge. Clamps are often a separate buy.
Why does the first cut trim the rail lip?
On the KS 55 FS set, reviewers report that the opening cut removes part of the rubber lip. That lip is a splinter strip designed to be cut to the blade’s path so later passes meet the edge of the strip. Do it on a spare board. If the teeth are also marking the aluminium edge, the depth is too low for the rail, which is the fault one buyer corrected by shimming blade height.
How do you start a plunge cut on the KT 18?
Fit the rail, set the depth, start the saw clear of a full-depth entry, and plunge on the line rather than feeding in from an edge as you would with a KS. Check the shoe is flat first. Reviews at 3.9 from 33 include warped base plates. Captured comments describe a 5.5 Ah pack as workable and a 2 Ah pack as too weak. The page does not state minutes of runtime.
When should you stop and call someone else?
Stop for structural timber, for cutting you are not authorised to do at work, and for any saw whose guard does not return, whose brake does not stop the blade, or whose base rocks on a flat table. A buying mistake — no rail, no battery, a KT used like a KS — is fixed by changing the setup or the tool, not by pushing the cut through.

Related pages

Metabo corded vs cordless circular saw

Metabo circular saw

Best Metabo circular saw UK: a rail, body or plunge

Metabo circular saw buying guide: depth, rail, CAS

Metabo circular saw guide rails: FS 160 and KFS 44

Sources

Public sources from the research digest, then the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Listings captured 20 October 2026.

  1. Metabo UK: KS 18 LTX 57 BL (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. Metabo: KS 55 FS (600955000) (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. Metabo UK cordless range catalogue 2025 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. Metabo: KFS 44 guide rail (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. HSE: Wood dust (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. GOV.UK: Product marking, UKCA and CE (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. BSI: BS EN 62841-2-5:2014 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk listings for the five retained Metabo ASINs (retrieved 20 October 2026)